Knitted fabric and method of knitting



Nov. 11, 1941. R. H. LAWSON KNITTED FABRIC AND METHOD OF KNITTING FiledFeb. 11, 1937 Z/I/I/E/YZWE:

RwEErAMAWm/g Patented Nov. 11, 1941 S PATENT OFFICE KNITTED FABRIC ANDMETHOD OF KNITTING .Robert H. Lawson,

Hemphill Company,

8 Claims.

This invention concerns a method of knitting and the fabric producedthereby.- The method involves the knitting of a fabric in which anelastic yarn is incorporated at spaced courses and wherein the fabric isalso ornamented with a true wrap pattern" at the same areas wherein saidelastic yarn is incorporated.

The figure shows a section of fabric knitted in accordance with theinvention, said fabric being greatly enlarged.

It has become a more or less common practice in the knitting of hosiery,especially the tops of certain classes of hosiery, to incorporate arubber or elastic yarn at spaced courses. This elastic yarn may beinlaid in the fabric or may be Pawtucket, R. 1., assignor to CentralFalls, R. I., a corporation of Massachusetts Application February 11,1937, Serial No. 125,277

knitted in conjunction with other threads, being 1 knitted at spacedneedles such as every fourth needle in certain instances, and in theevent of laying-in as practiced in plain fabric, the said elastic yarnmay be fed to alternate needles and be caused to pass behind interveningneedles. In rib fabrics the said elastic yarn may be inlaid inaccordance with the usual practice. In certain types of hosiery such aschildren's wear it is quite common to ornament the top of the stockingor sock with a true wrap pattern, this applying to both plain and ribwork. In the event the top is to have elastic yarn incorporated thereinin spaced courses, it is inevitable that the elastic must float fromcourse to course unless it is cut and taken within a binder at thetermination of each course wherein it is included. Obviously cutting andbinding is impractical both as a method and in so far as the product isconcerned so that in normal practice, the floats from course to coursemust necessarily be present. When knitting a wrap pattern in the areaswherein this elastic thread is to be included the floats of the wrapyarns will become entangled with the floats of the rubber thread and itwill be impossible to have both rubber in spaced courses and a true wrappattern in the ordinary sense except by employing very specialattachments on the machine. It is the purpose of this invention toincorporate the rubber thread in spaced courses and to knit a' true wrappattern in the areas wherein said rubber thread appears without usingspecial mechanism and without allowing floats of the rubber thread tointerfere with the wrap threads or the floats thereof.

The method involves the use of a multi-feed knitting machine and feedingof the rubber thread at one of the feeds, thus introducing the rubber inspaced courses but avoiding the necessity of floating from course tocourse as in single courses, and, of

feed machines. The elastic yarn will be incorporated in a helixprogressing from. one point where introduced to another point wherewithdrawn, the extent through which it will be incorporated dependingupon the purpose, type of hosiery being knitted, weight of the elastic,tension and other considerations. In a two feed machine the elasticwould appear in alternate course, it is necessary to use as many feedsas the number of courses through which it is desired to space therubber.

The wrapping mechanism to be employed may be of conventional type,although no particular wrapping means is necessary to be employed. Whenemploying an eccentric wrap of the Banner type that wrapping mechanismis to function at one of the feeding stations, preferably the feedingstation at which rubber is not fed, so that the wrap pattern will beimposed upon loops in courses which do not include the rubber. The wrapyarns will float from course to course skipping over those courses inwhich the rubber is incorporated and presenting a pattern at the face ofthe fabric in alternate courses. In the finished fabric this pattern maybe of any desired shape or configuration but will not be solid in thesense that it is knitted in every course throughout the figure. Anyneedle selecting means such as commonly employed may be used forselection of needles to knit the wrap threads and an entirely differentselecting means may be employed to raise those needles which are to takethe rubber thread before arriving at the knitting point for thosecourses in which the rubber thread is incorporated. It may be founddesirable to wrap on only those needleswhich do not take the rubberthread, or alternatively, on those that do take the rubber, although theinvention is by no means limited in such respect. A machine might be soconstructed merely for purposes of simplicity.

With some types of wrapping mechanism such as involve the use ofindividual needle wrapping fingers, concentrically arranged, it is quitewithin the scope of this invention to impose the wrap design on thefabric at all the courses thereof, and thus to produce a solid pattern.In that event selection of needles for the wrapping would be evident ateach feed and the needle wrapping fingers would be caused to wrap theyarns about the needles at each of the feeds. To prevent the loading upof needles at the feed at which the rubber-is fed, in the. event therubber is to be taken within the hooks of some of the needles andactually knitted, the selection at that feed may identification is Ifail to function upon any needles which are actually to knit the rubber.

In true rib fabrics the wrap pattern is to be imposed upon cylinderneedles only, and as the fabric would appear when unstretched, such'awrap design would present a solid appearance.

Referring to the figure of drawing, one example is shown wherein a basicfabric is knitted on a two feed machine, a rubber yarn being inlaid atone of the feeds and a wrap pattern being knitted at the opposite feed.The invention, as before stated, applies equally to fabrics knitted onmachines employing more than two feeds although a two feed propositionis herein disclosed for reasons of simplicity and since the principle isas well illustrated thereby as it would beif applicant resorted to amore intricate arrangement. The courses I, 3, 5, I and 9 herein shown asknitted of a yarn distinguished by cross-hatching are to be knitted atone feed and courses 2, 4, 6, 8 and I II are to be knitted at theopposite feed, this yarn being unshaded to present a contrast with thatfirst mentioned. An elastic thread II either covered or uncovered suchas Lastex is to be incorporated in the odd numbered courses. Thiselastic thread is herein shown as inlaid, that is,

' the thread being taken within the hooks of needles knitting in walesI3, I etc., and passing behind needles knitting wales I2, I4 etc. Whilethe needles knitting said wales I3, I5 are stated to takethe elastic intheir hooks, they do not knit base fabric knitted an elastic yarnincorporated in the' courses in,

which one of said base yarns is knitted, and wrap threads knitted toform a true wrap pattern in predetermined areas throughout the sectionof the fabric in which said elastic yarn is incorporated.

3. A plain knitted stocking top comprising a of yarns appearing inspaced, recurrent courses, an elastic yarn incorporated by passing infront of and behind alternate wales throughout the courses knitted ofone of said yarns, and wrap threads knitted to form a 'true wrap patternin predetermined areas throughout the section of said stocking top inwhich said elastic yarn is incorporated.

that elastic yarn but cast it off without knitting,

- this being accomplished by clearing the latch prior to knitting, or byfeeding below the latch, all as understood in the art with respect toin-- corporating rubber, see Getaz Patent 2,054,217. A wrap thread I 6,shown shaded for purposes of knitted in certain wales and certaincourses to form a simple pattern, one figure of which is shown in theillustration. This wrap thread is knitted only in the even numberedcourses, and floats as at I1 past the. odd numbered courses and behindthe rubber thread II. By means of needle selection the wrap thread istaken by different numbers of needles in different courses, this allbeing a matter of selection with respect to the particular patterndesired. Here the selection has been applied to alternate needles only,those knitting in wales I2, I4 etc., although it is quite possible andentirely within the scope of the invention to impose thesewrap threadloops upon any desired stitches in the even numbered courses. Likewise,by the means and method above described said wrap thread might also beknitted at the odd numbered courses thus producing a solid patternefi'ect.

-*'I'he invention is particularly applicable to knitting stocking topssuch as in children's wear wherein a garter effectis desired in additionto the ornamentation, however, it is by no means limited inthat respectsince it may be employed in any type of fabric in which ,it is found tohave possibilities. The invention is to be limited only by the scope ofthe appended claims.

I claim:

1. A knitted fabric comprising a plain knitted base fabric knitted of aplurality of yarns, an elastic yarn incorporatedin said base fabric in"courses spaced apart by at least one intermediate course and withoutfloats walewise of the fabric,

. yarn is knitted and to be those courses,

mined sections of the to be held at one only of 4. A method of knittingincluding the steps of forming a base fabric by alternating a pluralityof yarns throughout the knitting of recurrent plain courses, introducingan elastic yarn with one of said yarns so that said elastic thread willbeheld at some of the wales in those courses in which it is introduced,and knitting wrap threads to form a true wrap pattern throughoutpredetermined areas wherein said plurality of yarns and elastic yarn areknitted and incorporated as aforesaid.

5. Amethod of knitting a stocking topincluding the steps of forming abase fabric by alternating a plurality of yarns to knit the same inspaced, recurrent plain courses, introducing an elastic yarn with one ofsaid base yarns to be incorporated in the courses in. which said baseheld at spaced wales in and throughout the section of the stocking topwherein said plurality of yarns and said elastic yarn are incorporatedas aforesaid, knitting wrap threads at predetermined areas to form atrue wrap pattern.

6. A plain knitted stocking top comprising courses knitted of aplurality of yarns recurring in succession, an elastic yarn incorporatedwith one of the said yarns in some of said courses, and a true wrapthread pattern knitted in predeterfabric in courses of the other of saidyarns and floated over courses wherein the elastic yarn appears.

7. A knitted fabric comprising a plain knitted base fabric knitted froma plurality of yarns and having an elastic yarn, incorporated to be heldat spaced wales in alternate courses, a wrap pattern knitted inpredetermined areas in said fabric and being confined to courses inwhich no elastic yarn is incorporated.

. 8. A plain knitted fabric comprising a base fabric knitted from two ormore different yarns, each yarn appearing in the fabric in spaced,recurrent courses, an elastic thread incorporated spaced wales incourses knitted from said base yarns, andwrap threads knitted '-to forma true .wrap pattern in areas where said elastic thread is incorporatedat only those courses in which the said elastic thread is notincorporated to be held;

ROBERT H. LAWSON.

av plurality of yarns, said.

